Must-See: Frank Ocean Performs ‘Bad Religion’ On Fallon

Frank Ocean‘s show-stopping performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon moments ago lived up to its must-see billing. For, while his talent – as expected – showed up and showed out, the performance was garnished with an added coat of brilliance in that it was chosen as “the” one to launch its housing album ‘Channel Orange’.

The rare and surprising move, actioned by label Def Jam, saw the release of the eagerly anticipated set brought forward by seven days (hitting iTunes at the strike of 12.00am) to coincide with the performance. It’s a move no doubt set in motion to capitalize on Ocean’s sexuality-bearing letter – which remains a headline grabber a week after it rocked the industry.

Hence, in staying true to his reclusive “music does the talking” M-O, Ocean didn’t sit down with Fallon, instead he made folk sit up with a haunting showcase of ‘Bad Religion’.

other than the “coming out” stunt, he didnt hype this album nearly as much as most artists do. he unexpectedly released it a week early! no push-backs, no ridiculous statements like “this is the album of the decade” or “this day will be important for culture” he let the music do the talking.

July 10, 2012 at 3:07 amkimberly says:

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frank ocean revealed sexuality created a buzz and now have an album out! ok. that just seems like a stunt to me and from all angles it is surely one, but…..

Honestly saying your gay is too big of a risk to be a stunt. I don’t think it was planned…. do I think they took advantage of the buzz HELL YEAH… but take it from another gay man coming out is not a simple thing and coming out like he did WAS NOT A STUNT cuz it could easily back fire. Most dudes want to keep that s*** undercover especially Black R&B male artists. I do think he was ready to tell his TRUTH and that is why he has the song Bad Religion on his CD but again I don’t think he meant for it to be a big buzz cuzz you never know the outcome.

Point is he had opened himself up to it with the lyrical content, he would have been asked (in fact he was questioned) the moment that people heard a few tracks.

Frank is smart, not only has he had years to craft this piece but he also had years to decided if, when and how he wanted to reveal more about his private life. Last weeks gossip allowed him to say “this is what you’re going to heard but let me give you the real…in my own words….then once you’ve processed it. Get the into my genius”

S*** I like my artists enigmatic. Prince & MJ (for the most part) kept their private lives private or only alluded to through song, they never used them yo create an image, popularity or as an attempt to stay relative.

I’ll take the enigma over these modern day attention seeking h*** with very little talent and even less to say musically.

Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and now Frank Ocean looks like Def Jam only sign people who can’t sing live to save their lives. He looked nervous as hell. too bad he can’t perform his well writen songs. I guess that’s why he was a ghost writer at first. He is not a professional singer

Unless you are truly Beyonce you might want to stop slandering and disrespecting people under someone else’s name. That is illegal on so many levels. Frank has an amazing voice and is a talented writer.

Why Chris Brown is better* than Frank Ocean:
– Brown uses auto-tune to enhance listening experience
– Brown has the money to buy the best writers in the industry
– Brown has the gift from God to lip-sync in performances

* Woops I’m sorry, I meant no better.

July 10, 2012 at 6:57 amlol says:

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Are you crazy …this sounded effortless – he sounded like a soulful angel…that note he hit at 3:27 was flawless

Chris brown voice cracks easily , has a slight lisp,and sounds like a little kid with a cold…frank has bass in his voice …

July 10, 2012 at 10:34 amMob says:

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Why are you b****** always trying to talk s*** about a young 23-year-old staright black male? Screw you! I’ve seen Chris Brown singing acapelle in concert and he was AMAZING! You hating ass b****** need to sit.

And, why bring up Chris’ name compare him to Usher Raymond or Neyo or Justine TimbeFAKE or Robin “I was arrested again for drug use but look at me now I am on TV” Thicke?

July 10, 2012 at 4:31 amKD says:

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I like Oceans performances. Not every performance needs a troupe of dancers or pyro. I am however disappointed in the decision to rush his release (in order to capitalise on the sensationalism surrounding his letter?) I don’t know what part he played in all of this but I have to say that he has become somewhat tainted in my book.

The album is just okay, the magic with nostalgia is that he reworked song and instrumentals to make his own sound, this album is just a bunch of okay songs with nostalgia interludes and nostalgia sounding left overs so I’m a lil’ disappointed. To me Frank is an okay singer with an incredible melody and writing skill, genius no but a good guy who will become a great artist with some work. I think the hype did him no favours.

I just listened to his album and I have to say it’s not as good as people try to make it out to be. I don’t hear any kind of spark in his voice and the album is pretty monotonous. He just used the open letter to launch and promote an album that sounds like one extremely long song with the same vocals, same melodies and same arrangements. I support people who know that they’re entitled to be who they want to be, but his letter is beginning to look like a promotional trick for an album that noone was checking for rather than a statement…

I was smart I listened to my friend’s album she download from Itunes. We both was disappointed. This song he just sang above sounds like to me he was singing it to a dude anyway. Def Jam are some slick m************ they used that letter for pitty promotional just like they did Rihanna.

i dont dislike him i love the album! but lets just be real. so many people know him now and they didnt know him last week. all thats to the coming out stunt, hes still my fave male r&b artist right now.

So many people are talking out there ass right now does anyone even know why he put the letter out in the first place. The reason he did is because he had so many people trying to call him out before he was ready to do it on his own terms. And not only that the Damn letter is in his thank you part of the album so it would have came out either way I don’t understand what point people are trying to make wiith this letter it really makes no sense. And also channel orange rocks to me so I’m good.

But when other ppl are “called out” or accused of being Gay ppl talk ISH about them! Why should Frank Ocean be any different? How many BLACK MEN in R&B have been accused of being GAY and everyone on every blog site LAUGHS & REJOICES as they try to tell the world that it’s simply not true? He chose to make this a public issue not those who read his words. But it doesn’t matter, he is about to be the” KANG of R&B”!

let me voice my thoughts on the whole thing cuz i’m afraid i ran out of f**** to give about this dude :

1. him coming out of the closet ” or whatever the term used in his case” :

first of all , why i should care , or anyone for that matter if he f*** or getting f***** in the ass ?! why i should care ?!! why he should give me a long ass letter ” which i won’t waste my time reading” about this one ?! just why ?!! and why in this time ?!!
someone answer this ?! so he remembered to be honest now about his sexuality and tell us he’s “not straight” ?!! WOW.

he just started any BS to get ppl interested in him as a person/human BESIDE his work as a singer / artist , then of course he wanted everyone to care about him releasing his album , and to achieve that , he asked his ass OR jay-z , what’s the hottest topic in USA now to capitalize on/USE ?!
that’s right , gay marriage or anything that’s gay for that matter , so he knew what he’s doing IMO, he didn’t push up his album or whatsoever , he knew the release date and made the whole thing just as a ‘stunt’ , smart move !! i love this marketing Rule ! i’m here for it tho.
and even if it won’t achieve the goal , the LGBT things will go H.A.M. for his ass just like when they do when everyone make them feel they are worthy of something.
another marketing plan i respect —> always have a Plan B and USE whatever in sight to achieve it !!!!

another thing , ppl thought he’s pushing up his album or whatsoever , c’mon , let’s be realistic and think “marketing” for a minute , this n**** want his album to be a success , right ? he did all that to achieve only that , right?! and NOW is the time , no much competition in charts , ppl who release albums now probably has no buzz compared to him , etc … NOW is the time !! he can sell 3 copies of his boring ass album and he will be #1 and get away with it, so i see what this queen @sam is saying , that’s marketing 101: the basics !!

so this n**** calculated his moves ages ago. i respect his smartness despite being gay !!

talk about striking while the iron is HOT. i see what he’s doing !! BUT he forgot some essential points:
a) where is his fanbase ?!! the age group ?! whether they are men or women ? they but or bootleg ? use iTunes/amazon or Mediafire ?! etc …

b) he’s black , so that might be ……….. ” well u know what i wanna say in here , u can figure it out already” !

c) he is R&B/ Urban , This Genre is DOWWWN nowadays , so …

let’s move to the the dude’s work , the album , IMO :

the album is so boring and overrated !! i initially downloaded the Leak and gave it a shot , AND no , nothing special and i just don’t know what the f*** he’s doing !! the album sound like that shitty music barbers listen to when you get your hair cut or something … not the business !!

so i don’t see what others say and gassing up him like he’s doing something exceptional or something !! Pleeeeease .. , just because it SOUND different that what’s on your rado doesn’t mean it’s Quality music , you want quality music , you can have kimbra’s album , Gotye or Fun. !! whatever u want , you will find it as long as you explore the world of music !

thirdly he’s has a wide fanbase and a cult following in underground rnb/and hipster indie music as well as attention from mainstream hip hop and rnb …thinkin bout you and novacane are hit songs that actually “move” people and strike a chord with audience instead of being a radio song see …Rihanna

u don’t have to like my egyptian ass. i’m not here to make friends h**.
i won’t discuss your opinion about the album. i think i said it all in that long ass comment of mine.

and yeah right … i’m gay and u are obama.

July 10, 2012 at 10:16 amDenial says:

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Exactly @lol he stays in denial which is the funny part.

I’ve seen alot of gay on this site but he is the gayest of them all no questions asked.

July 10, 2012 at 11:49 amMeh says:

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You are here make friends which why you try be part diff fanbase every other day. You obviously have very low self esteem which another reason you not accept that you homosexual man. Navy don’t use you btw. You trash.

Lol so many people are talking out there ass right now about this letter do yall even know the real reason he put it out. The real reason was because last week people where coming after him and trying to out on him so he took it upon himself to do it on his own terms. And not only that the Damn letter is in the thank you part of his album. And on top of that he has been giving hints that he was bi so what points are people trying to make I’m lost. And channel orange is dope to me so I’m good.

“taxi driver
be my shrink for the hour
leave the meter running
its rush hour
so take the streets if you wanna
just outrun the demons could you
he said allah hu akbar
i told him don’t curse me
bo bo you need prayer
i guess it couldn’t hurt me
if it brings me to my knees
it’s a bad religion
this unrequited love
to me its nothing but a one man cult
& cyanide in my styrofoam cup
i could never make him love me’
– Bad Religion

This is what i stand for lyrics,vocals,and production with storytelling

That is what it means to be a Frank Ocean fan…even though it takes about a dude
it STILL sounds like an instant classic

He has ZERO stage presence. The material was presented with all the intensity of a diphtheria, and borders upon anti-Islamic; Salman Rushdie come to mind?! I hope Islamists catch-up to Mr. Ocean and make him pay for insulting the Prophet Muhammad and Islam!

Target Rich environment that Frank Ocean:

1.) Homosexual – A sin, punishable by/with DEATH in BOTH Islam and Christianity: Leviticus 18:22 – man shall not lay with man as he lays with woman. That is detestable and an abomination; they shall be put to death, and their blood shall be upon their heads!”

2.) ..Defiled Islam, he called it “bad religion”.

Do you know that bisexuals like Frank Ocean are T-H-E #1 reason for the high rates of A*** among black women in the U.S??? Oh yes! It’s true! Bisexual/Gay black men are T-H-E #1 reason for the spread of A*** in the AA community!

A true believer, Christian or Muslim, will soon walk up to the likes of Frank Ocean and deliver God’s wrath upon him. You see, then, that righteous, true believer is to be commended, because in the Koran, as in the Bible, homosexuality is a Capital Crime.

He has ZERO stage presence. The material was presented with all the intensity of a diphtheria, and borders upon anti-Islamic; Salman Rushdie come to mind?! I hope Islamists catch-up to Mr. Ocean and make him pay for insulting the Prophet Muhammad and Islam!

Target Rich environment that Frank Ocean:

1.) Homosexual – A sin, punishable by/with DEATH in BOTH Islam and Christianity: Leviticus 18:22 – man shall not lay with man as he lays with woman. That is detestable and an abomination; they shall be put to death, and their blood shall be upon their heads!”

2.) ..Defiled Islam, he called it “bad religion”.

Do you know that bisexuals like Frank Ocean are T-H-E #1 reason for the high rates of A*** among black women in the U.S??? Oh yes! It’s true! Bisexual/Gay black men are T-H-E #1 reason for the spread of A*** in the AA community!

A true believer, Christian or Muslim, will soon walk up to the likes of Frank Ocean and deliver God’s wrath upon him. You see, then, that righteous, true believer is to be commended, because in the Koran, as in the Bible, homosexuality is a Capital Crime.

His voice on this performance was just ok to me. Nothing spectacular. I haven’t listened to the album yet but i will though. With all the hype going on I hope I am not disappointed expecting way too much. I have heard about the Adele comparisons but he started off with a publicity stunt with that letter/gay thing. Hope that works for him. One thing with stunts though, they dont last long and people are on to the next one. Should have done like Adele “come out like a thief in the night” and blow us all away with the music.

Yeah, I’ve heard the entire CD now and all I can say is that its just okay! And is very much what I expected. However, his timing was perfect and will benefit him greatly! You have to admire a well planned scheme! He announces to the world that he sleeps with women and also sleeps with men then Def SCAM releases his CD a week ahead of schedule to milk the sympathy vote!

That performance wasn’t all that. It wasn’t technically bad, but not memorable and far from hype-worthy.

Right now people are just being lemmings with Frank. They wanna go “Awww…,” be charmed by how ‘brave’ he was for being so candid about his sexuality, champion him just to feel like they’re being progressive and forward thinking themselves by “accepting” his gayness, and pretentiously protect him from those “bullies” who might have even the slightest hesitation to accept him.

Right now, it’s NOT about the music at all…and truthfully, that song he did with Pharrell that was just leaked stinks. It’s all about the hype generated by that letter.

He’ll initially sell better than expected and everyone will feel all geeked about his defying whatever odds that were supposed to be stacked against him, but when the hype quickly dies down (and it will) there won’t be much left commercially.

I’m still doubting that black radio will give him much play. The urban media will talk about him, sure, and invite him to do interviews…but play his music alongside Trey, Chris and Drake? Doubtful. And you know so good and damn well that his videos aren’t going to be fixtures on 106 & Park’s countdown either. Pop radio might give him some spins here and there, because they tend to like things that’re “atypical” and because mainstream society likes to think it’s liberal enough to embrace gay people…but that’ll only go so far.

Adam Lambert already tried to market homosexuality as his gimmick, and as I recall it hasn’t worked that great for him. He’s never sold as much as they revved him up to…and he has a MUCH bigger machine behind him than Frank does.

When all is said and done, and the gay chatter dies down, Frank will still only be a niche artist who plays to very limited and borderline underground fan base of pretentious listeners.

By “pretentious listeners” do you mean listeners who have discriminating tastes? If so, count me amongst that crowd.

Frank Ocean isn’t for everybody. Never has been and never will be & to that I say thank god!

Frank’s disclosure of his same-s** desire (that’s all he said, nothing more. He never declared any particular sexuality in the letter) will not change who enjoys or doesn’t enjoy his music. You’re either on board or not–period. People, gay straight or in-between, who did not enjoy his music before his disclosure won’t now. There is no “market of homosexuality” here.

U can’t compare Adam Lambert to Frank Ocean…one is Pop the other is RnB…and Adam is very talented in his own right, but dude doesn’t have machine support…Lambert is like Blacklisted by US radio and he hardly gets any US TV performances, nobody shouts him out like others shout out Frank, Lambert is not a “cool guy” in pop music…his sexuality is not a marketing tool, it’s part of who he is….Plus Frank has the urban market on lock right now…I have a lot of respect for Adam Lambert, this dude is still trying his ass off with no real support from what matters in his genre, Radio and the Tastemakers…Keep dissing Adam if that makes U happy, but Lambert’s a real dude even without all the success…Frank Ocean will sell a ton anyway…and I respect him and his music…but no need to degrade another artist that happens to be gay, Lambert has MAD Vocal talent….

I´m loving this guy
What are some Rihanna fans trying to do here? Talking about “ok” voice and boring album??? Please
He´s not this amazing singer but he has his own style and great songwriting skills. It´s a little bit like Lana del Rey. You don´t need to be a Whitney type of vocalist to have mad talent and create great music

haha You know nothing about anyone, about yourself to start with, people pressed at other people´s sexual life… retarded people or people who have an inferiority complex cos of their sexual lives being boring or closeted. Enough said

July 10, 2012 at 2:38 pmEJ says:

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haha …. don’t try and pull that reverse psychology b******* on me. I’m not impressed and u failed to “put me in my place”. lol Like I said: ur into him because he’s a soap dropping bottom b**** just like you.

Standing Ovation for @ABSOLVED…Bandwagon fans are extremely fickle and unforunately once another distraction comes their way they are bound to forget about him. Lets be real, this comment section would have been a tomb sans any confession letter.

This album is not for little kids who like “dance” and “Pop” music. This dude is on another level with his music. So if you were expecting to take it to the dance floor you have the wrong album and especially the wrong artist…… This Dude is dope and his album is on point………..

Right, and because he wasn’t a s** symbol coming out *was* a stunt. It’s not like he’s known for his hordes of female groupies or is seen as some kind of alpha dude that other men idolize or relate to. What was Frank’s “hook” before all this? He didn’t have one. Coming out wouldn’t have hurt his career because he didn’t have an image to protect. He had next to nothing to lose. It was either this or be another sterile John Legend/Kem-type.

IS HE TALENTED? YES, BUT ALL THIS MUSICAL GENIUS STUFF AND EPIC SINGER, NO! LETS BE REAL.. HE IS BEING OVER HYPED BECAUSE HE CAME OUT. I LOVE MUSIC AND I ALWAYS KEEP TRACK OF WHOS ON THE SCENE AND WHAT ALBUMS ARE COMING OUT ETC… BUT I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT “CHANNEL ORANGE” UNTIL HE ADMITTED HE WAS BISEXUAL. NOW THIS RELEASE JUST DOESNT SEEM HONEST.. I FEELS LIKE IT WAS A LAST MINUTE PUBLICITY STUNT TO BOOST SALES…. AND THERES NOTHING EPIC ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE… AT ALL!

Terry, if YOU didn’t know anything about the “Channel Orange” release, that probably means YOU weren’t invited to the party. YOU weren’t privy to the discussions surrounding Frank Ocean. This probably meant that this music wasn’t for you.

“Channel Orange” is a great album that was probably never meant for your ears. Get over it and get back to the basic s*** that you’re used to.

I CANT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME WHY THE SAME BORED PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS ON EVERY POST HATING ON EVERYTHING. ITS JUST DISGUSTING.

I bought the album and I gotta say I can play it all the way thru. Its an album for bubble gum pop lovers. Its a storyteller’s album. Everyone not gonna like it, but thats what opinions are made for. He’s gonna win awards for this tho and sell records and prolly wont give a dam about any of our opinions.